WM Phoenix Open 2026 sees best final round viewership in 7 years

The PGA Tour continues to see strong television ratings, with another big week ahead for the People’s Open.

CBS reported that the ratings for the final round of the 2026 WM Phoenix Open hit the highest level in seven years, an increase of 32% from the same period last year, with peak viewers of nearly 5 million. The broadcast continued into the start of the Super Bowl, where Chris Gottrup defeated Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff for his second win of the season.

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It’s not just the weekends that attract attention. According to Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, Golf Channel’s average viewership increased 9% through the first two rounds, with the WM Phoenix Open reaching its highest first-round ratings since 2013 and reaching 819,000 viewers for the second round.

These figures are just the latest in an astonishing growth in viewership for the Tour. Last week, Golf Channel claimed that viewership for each round of the Farmers Insurance Open was up 75% year over year. The previous week, “American Express” total ratings increased by 125% compared with last year. Last fall, CBS said the 2025 season would be its most-watched golf season since 2018.

Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s season opener in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attracted an average of 23,000 spectators over the four days of competition, with Elvis Smylie winning the event late in the second round over Jon Rahm.

The PGA Tour now returns to California for the penultimate event of its West Coast swing, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the first signature event of the 2026 season, while LIV Golf heads to Adelaide, Australia.

This article originally appeared in Golfweek: TV ratings for 2026 WM Phoenix Open final round hit best in seven years